Foolish Games are No Savior
by Believe-in-Teyla
Summary: Set during HBP. Hermione is hurting & seeking revenge; Draco is frustrated and seeking some relief. In a world where Hermione & Draco delve into misery they end up finding some solace in each other. WARNING: NOT light & fluffy! NOT light & fluffy!
1. Verbal Game

**PART I**

Hermione Granger walked along the second floor corridor with tears streaming down her flushed and puffy cheeks. She was pleased to find the corridor empty, though with it being late in the evening she was not surprised. However late it was though, Hermione was thankful not to meet anyone; she was rather ashamed of herself for getting in such a fragile state as it was.

A week had passed since Hermione had entered the Gryffindor common room only to find Ron thoroughly indulged in kissing Lavender Brown and it seemed that the image could not and would not leave her mind.

Feeling a new wave of grief overwhelming her, Hermione hurried into a nearby lavatory to calm down and freshen up. She was so overwhelmed with her tears that she did not realise that it was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom she was entering. Or that it might have been occupied.

_**o**_

Draco stared at himself in the cracked mirror, leaning on the basin in front of him. He had just demanded that Moaning Myrtle leave, which she had gone about loudly and stubbornly, grating at Draco's nerves even more.

He had spent another frustrating evening with the broken Vanishing Cabinet and once more he had walked away without being any closer to his goal. He found himself angry at himself, frustrated that he was alone in getting the job done and that he couldn't tell a soul exactly what he was doing.

He was alone and it was the first time it had ever bothered him.

Draco's eyes narrowed even more when he saw the door open and heard sobbing. He had almost expected it to be Moaning Myrtle though he knew that she was unable to open doors. He was therefore surprised when Hermione Granger entered the room with bloodshot eyes and puffy and wet cheeks.

Draco let out a growl as his eyes met hers in the mirror. The last thing he wanted was the filthy Gryffindor to worsen his already sour mood.

"What are you doing in here, Mudblood?" he spat venomously.

Hermione did not respond; she only knew that she was in trouble – Malfoy was positively furious at her presence. Moving her hand blindly behind her, Hermione desperately searched for the door handle, ready to pull the door open and run away from him.

Draco, noticing her actions, pulled away from the sink and turned to her, his eyes flashing dangerously as he slowly glided towards her. He watched Hermione gulp thickly, her teary eyes growing wide and terrified. In one swift movement he had his wand drawn and pointed at her.

"For a Gryffindor you're awfully skittish tonight, Granger," Malfoy sneered, pushing aside a strand of her hair with his wand.

His words seemed to summon some courage in Hermione as she let out a tiny growl, pulled away from the wall and pulled out her own wand. She pointed it straight at his face.

"Well you would be too if you were cornered by a Death Eater in the middle of a girl's lavatory," Hermione scowled.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her and glared for a moment. "Is that what Potter told you?" His voice no longer held venom but he sounded slightly unnerved. "Is that what he told you after I broke his nose?"

"Yes," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "Though I doubt a coward such as you would ever be able to help Voldemort. Or perhaps that's why he wants you…"

Draco retreated slightly, still glaring at the witch in front of him. Hermione did not drop her wand.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand, _Mudblood_," Draco sneered finally before turning back to the basin and staring at himself in the mirror.

Hermione noticed that he looked tired and considerably thinner though at that moment she found she didn't at all care why. She slowly glided towards him like he had done to her several minutes earlier. She stared fixedly at Draco's eyes in his reflection.

"Don't assume that no one is watching, Malfoy," Hermione stated dryly before she turned on her heel, pulled open the door and gracefully headed back out into the corridor.

Draco looked back as the door slammed shut, suddenly feeling not only frustrated with himself but very, very uneasy at Hermione's words.

_**o**_

The next day, Hermione was walking along that same corridor with Neville when she saw Draco heading into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom once more. Hurriedly, Hermione turned to Neville.

"I'll meet you in the library in a minute, Neville," she said quickly. "I've _really_ got to dash to the loo!"

Neville nodded and kept heading towards the staircase. Once he was out of sight, Hermione opened the door and found Draco lazily leaning against the same basin he had been the night before.

"In here again, Malfoy?" Hermione scoffed, glaring in his direction. "Ditched Pansy and taken a fancy in Myrtle?"

"I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to see you in here again, Granger," Draco snarled.

"Obviously you didn't make it clear enough," Hermione stated blandly. "What are you doing in here?"

"You know Granger," Draco snarled. "The stalker thing just doesn't work for you. Why don't you have Potter tell you what I'm doing in here? I'm sure he's got an elaborate theory about it in that scared head of his."

"You leave Harry out of this, Malfoy!" Hermione warned. "I want to know what you're up to; I want to be the one who gets you kicked out of this castle."

Draco chuckled. "You're here as a Prefect and not as one of Potter's nosey friends? Well that makes it all the more better for me. Granger, I came in here to get a breather from my own duties. There is no school rules that states I can't be in here for that purpose – "

Hermione opened her mouth to interrupt but Draco stopped her.

"Other than the fact that I'm a male in a female lavatory that no one ever comes into," Draco smirked. "Surely that's not enough to have you give me detention."

"I'm warning you, Malfoy," Hermione hissed. "If I see you in here again, I will not hesitate to let someone know. And I will make sure Harry is there to back me up. As you said, I'm sure he has some elaborate theory as to what you're up to."

"I'd like to see you try, Mudblood," Draco sneered, walking closer to her so only a few inches stood between his face and hers. "All I'd have to do is grab Weasley and kiss him and I'll have you in the closed ward at St Mungo's in no time."

"What I think about Ron is none of your business, Malfoy," Hermione seethed quietly. She turned of her heel and headed out, deliberately making sure that the door would slam behind her.

_**o**_

Draco was, once again, frustrated beyond belief. It was the night before the beginning of the Christmas holidays and he had just come back from Snape's office where the professor had lectured and interrogated him to no end. Not only that but he had narrowly missed running into Granger as he stormed away from Snape's office. The Gryffindor was most likely snooping around again.

Draco raised a fist and slammed it into the already cracked mirror in front of him. The glass shattered and fell to the damp floor below, leaving Draco with a bloody hand and in an even fouler mood.

Turning, he left the bathroom where he so often spent his alone moments. He had only just reached the end of the corridor when he heard crying. Looking around he saw Granger in her dress robes, nursing her head in her hands and sobbing hysterically.

Draco scowled. "What's got you so upset tonight, Granger?" he sneered. "I was under the assumption that Weasley wasn't invited to Slughorn's merry little mistletoe party."

Hermione looked up and Draco smirked at the look of her. Wet mascara was staining her face, which was very pale around red, puffy eyes and a running nose.

"I didn't think it was possible for you to look even more hideous than usual, Granger." Malfoy's smirk grew even wider. "Congratulations on proving me wrong."

"That w-was you who m-made that terr-terrible noise?" Hermione questioned, sobbing and hiccupping. "What d-did you do _now_?"

"I broke a mirror Granger," Draco smirked, leaning against the wall lazily. He was rather enjoying Hermione's misery.

"It f-finally realised you were l-looking at it?"

"Granger, learn to put bite in your words," Draco drawled, his smirk still in place. "Or is the Gryffindor princess really so heartbroken that she's lost her edge?"

Hermione glared at Malfoy before hiccupping once more. Draco's smirk broadened even more.

He was thankful for Hermione's appearance; it was cheering him up greatly.

"I hope you repaired that m-mirror, Malfoy…" Hermione said with the warning evident in her muffled tone.

"Of course I did, Granger," Draco said, knowing the girl was not in the state to go and check.

Hermione nodded and looked down at her hands.

"Get a grip, Granger," Draco sneered looking down at her, his temper once more wearing thin. "Surely even the likes of you shouldn't get so upset over a Weasley?"

Hermione continued to look at her hands. "Take your verbal game elsewhere, Malfoy."

Draco did not respond; he just continued on his way.


	2. Kissing Game

**PART II**

Hermione clenched her teeth to prevent the angry scream from leaving her mouth. Ron was trying to be _civil_ with her! With _her_! Was he really that stupid to not understand that she was angry with him not because he stopped talking to her but because he was with Lavender and not her?!

The angry tears began to fall and Hermione made no move to stop them. Muttering to herself angrily, she pushed open the door to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and just as she was praying that Draco Malfoy wasn't in there, her eyes met his.

She felt the anger boil within her more furiously.

"Not again!" she cried, angrily wiping away the tears.

But suddenly she was slammed into the back of the door roughly. With the growl of a wild animal, Malfoy was kissing her. It was harsh and demanding, almost like he was trying desperately to save himself.

_**o**_

When Draco had seen her walk into the bathroom, he'd felt a rush of anger, wondering if the girl ever got the idea that this was his place. Noticing the tears he felt the urge to cause pain, tear out his hair and scream at her. But instead he saw a new form of relief; relief that he knew he would regret later.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, he slammed her against the door that had just slammed closed and harshly leant forward to capture her lips in his.

Angrily, he kissed her, knowing that he would be leaving bruises and not caring. He stepped in closer to her, biting down on her bottom lip, demanding access. The fact that he was kissing the Gryffindor Mudblood Hermione Granger did not register; he only knew that every brutal kiss he gave her caused him liberation and satisfaction.

Drawing away, he took in her appearance. Her bushy hair had fallen from the ponytail it had been in and it looked singed and electrified. Hermione stood with her lips apart and wide, terrified eyes, taking in Draco's face. The tears were gone; Draco imagined this was from the shock of what just happened.

Without a second thought Hermione raised her hand and slapped it harshly across Draco's cheek, feeling the pain surge through her own hand and she turned away. She furiously swung open the door and ran out it. Draco followed her, wand raised ready to fight but she had already dashed around the corner.

Heading back into his sanctuary, he stared at himself in the mirror beside the one he had previously broken and took a deep breath. He was now ready to head back to the Room of Hidden Things.

_**o**_

Hermione darted into the first classroom she could find. Slamming her own body against the back of the door, she broke down in hysterical tears and slid down the length of it to the floor. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand she winced, feeling the bruises rising. Sobbing violently, she tried dearly to catch her breath but it was no use.

Curling up hopelessly on the cold stone floor, she let memories of the past few weeks fill her mind. Whether it was Ron's attraction to Lavender or Malfoy's recent attack, it only caused her to sob harder.

Finally letting out a strangling breath, she tried to recompose herself. Sitting up, she wiped at her wet cheeks and tear-filled eyes, desperately hoping that soon her misery would end.

_**o**_

Draco sat by the Cabinet, tapping hopelessly at it with his wand. It was no use. Despite feeling better after his confrontation with Granger, it was not helping him any in achieving his goal. Gritting his teeth, he gave the Cabinet a harsh tap and it vibrated slightly.

Sitting back in frustration, he looked around at the room before him. Nothing but old tables, books and forbidden ornaments surrounded him. There was no one to keep him from going insane. He couldn't even let Crabbe and Goyle join him in trying to fix the cabinet; not that they would be much of a help.

Kicking at the Cabinet, he felt very little strength within his body; the days he had spent, tediously trying to fix a Cabinet that he was sure was irreparable was causing him to grow tired. His stomach gave a great grumble but he ignored it as he once again raised his wand and desperately hoped that this time – this time a hundred days since he'd discovered it – was the time he might actually get it right.

He let out a great cry of misery when – once again – his attempt proved unsuccessful.

_**o**_

The next day, Draco roamed the halls desperately for the girl he had sought solace in the night before. He needed her to diminish the frustration that was growing more and more unbearable within him by the minute. Turning the corner into the dungeon corridor, he sighed to himself as he saw her waiting outside Professor Slughorn's office.

"Granger," Draco sneered in acknowledgement, taking in her appearance with satisfaction.

Her hair looked more unruly than ever, her lips were still slightly puffy and her cheeks were pale beneath lifeless eyes that had suddenly gone wide in terror at his appearance.

Draco did not hesitate before he pushed her against the closest stone wall and started kissing her roughly. He heard her let out a gasp but he only kissed her harder and deeper; he never thought that kissing Hermione Granger would have such an affect on him. He'd kissed Pansy a hundred times but not once did it relieve his frustration as much as the Gryffindor Mudblood did.

He pulled away roughly and looked at her; this time she was crying and looking at him with questioning eyes. Draco merely leant in and kissed her again, contented by the sobs that drew from the girl before him. He knew deep down it was wrong to find such contentment in her pain but the evil that had overcome him begged him not to stop.

Drawing back once again, Draco noticed that the tears were starting to diminish and frowned at the girl.

"Malfoy –" Hermione choked.

"This isn't what you think, Granger," Draco ground out carefully, observing her vigilantly and feeling some guilt from what he was putting her through.

"So this isn't your sick way of relieving the pressure?" Hermione asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"Well it is what you think it is than, Granger."

As Hermione nodded numbly, Draco tried not to acknowledge just how smart the girl was; if she could read him so easily than perhaps she could work out what his plans were and why he was so frustrated.

Draco went to draw away, but Hermione grabbed the front of his robes and held him there. "Where are you going?" she hissed and her lips were on his kissing him with the same measure of brutality that he had used on her a moment ago. Draco did not move away, impressed by the harshness of the girl. She sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and after sucking on it hard she bit down on it and continued to kiss him, her lips hurting with the hardness of it.

"Granger –" Draco rasped out when she pulled away and looked at him with fire in her eyes, her teeth clenched and a look of triumph slowly taking over her features. "What was that?"

"That, Malfoy, was my getting revenge on Ronald Weasley for being a heartless toe-rag," Hermione stated matter-of-factly. "Not that he'll ever know I did it."

"Satisfaction is a surprising thing, isn't it Granger?" Malfoy smirked, his opinion of the girl going up a notch.

"It's no more surprising than the brutality in which you first introduced this _satisfying_ kissing game, Malfoy."

With that Hermione left, feeling Draco's penetrating gaze burning into her back.

_**o**_

Hermione sat in her dormitory, trying desperately not to listen to Lavender's recollection of her night spent with Ron. As Parvati let out a loud giggle, Hermione rolled her eyes, stood up from her bed and stalked out of the dormitory. It had been three weeks since she had encountered Malfoy in the dungeon corridor and since than Hermione had returned to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom several times to let out her sorrows in the presence of Draco Malfoy.

She and Malfoy rarely spoke on these occasions; they had taken to understand exactly why the other was there and although each of them would have preferred not having to relieve their burdens in such a manner, they both found that nothing else was quite as satisfying.

Striding through the common room, she ignored Ron and Harry who sat together on the couch and headed straight through the portrait. She heard a "Where are you going?" from Harry right before the portrait closed but did not answer.

"It's getting late, Dear," The Fat Lady scolded at her retreating back.

"Duties," Hermione muttered and she kept walking.

Hermione was thankful that there were no more interruptions as she slowly made her way down to the second floor girl's bathroom. Stopping in front of the door, she let out a deep breath and pushed it open.

She was disappointed to find the bathroom empty. Walking forward she turned on the hot water faucet and winced at the heat that came out of it but she did not withdraw her hands. Steam rose and she withdrew them, the tears she had been holding since sitting in her dormitory finally falling from her eyes and into the grimy basin.

She was shaking violently as she let out great sob after sob. Looking at her reflection in the mirror she felt a need to smash the glass but restrained herself from doing so. Wiping harshly at her eyes and cheeks, she only faintly heard the bathroom door opening.

She let out a short gasp as she was violently turned around and lifted so she was sitting on the edge of the basin and looking into the blotchy face of Draco Malfoy.

His eyes were dark and watery, his cheeks were flushed and he seemed to be fighting to keep his lips from trembling.

Moving forward, he was suddenly kissing her and Hermione felt the contentment wash over her instantly as he grazed his teeth across her bruised lips.


	3. End Game

**PART III**

The tears fell from his eyes even before he had reached the second floor. This time had been much more frustrating than others before it.

Snape had, once more, attempted to interfere before Draco had returned to the Room on Hidden Things to once more sit before the broken Vanishing Cabinet for four unsuccessful hours. He had spent the whole night in there the night before and had thought he had come one step closer to fixing the horrid thing. However, in his excitement, Draco had come very close to initiating the Avada Kedavra curse on himself to save the Dark Lord the hassle.

Reaching the corridor with the bathroom that he was seeking, he felt a rush of pleasure at the sound of loud and hopeless sobbing coming from the lavatory. He knew those sobs; they most certainly weren't those on Moaning Myrtle.

Swinging the door open, he saw her petite figure bent over a basin; her hands were bright red in the areas they weren't white from clenching the sink and he could see in the reflection of the mirror that her face was glistening with tears. Yes, this was exactly how he had hoped to find her.

Rushing forward, Draco grabbed her arm and turned her violently around to face him. She let out a gasp as he lifted her and rested her backside on the edge of the basin, staring into her face desperately and feeling some liberation from just knowing she was there.

He let her examine his face a moment before he leant forward and captured her lips with his. Grazing her lips with his teeth, he gripped her tightly when she let out a growl and responded feverishly.

Deepening the kiss, Draco kissed her slightly harder, his tongue entering her mouth and licked at her own, feeling her nibble at it at the same time. As he continued to assault her mouth, his body became aware of a meowing that could only possibly be coming from the girl he was currently taking his frustration out on.

Drawing back, he looked at her and took in her features with questioning. A part of him told him that his body should not be reacting to her in the way it was.

Hermione let out another brutal growl and clawed at his chest, drawing him into her once more. Draco obeyed and continued to kiss her, his hand pulling on her mane of hair and elicited wonderful sounds from her that sent his next actions into chaos.

Drawing closer to her, Draco blindly maneuvered her legs to straddle his sides and he relished in the harsh cry that came from Hermione when he sat his right hand on her ankle and slowly moved it upwards to sit just beneath the hem of her school skirt.

Hermione pulled away. "This shouldn't feel this good," she rasped out before drawing Draco into another harsh kiss that consisted of tongue, lips and teeth, causing Draco to let out a couple of growls of his own.

Draco saw this as a challenge. He Moved his hand under her skirt and groped at the glorious piece of leg that he found there. Hermione let out a gasp and kissed him harder in punishment.

"Merlin, Granger," Draco gasped, when she scooted forward on the basin and rubbed slightly against his growing erection. "Do that again and you'll end up doing more than making Weasley jealous."

Hermione hissed at the sound of Ron's name and pulled on Draco's hair with her right hand as her left pushed at Draco's hand under her skirt. Draco chuckled and did not move it.

"Are you challenging me, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes.

"This is all a game, Granger," Draco drawled in response. "I intend to win it."

"Suddenly we're competing?" Hermione questioned venomously. "I thought we were doing this to find relief?"

Draco ignored this and merely smirked. "The game has to end at some point, Granger."

Hermione drew his face forward and kissed him harshly. Draco responded, his tongue challenging hers brutally, stepping closer still and he rubbing against her. At her meow, he grinned. _This was his to win._

"This might go too far for your liking, Granger," Draco warned, his hand against her thigh which clenched beneath his touch.

"Just do it, Malfoy," she demanded, blindly playing with the fly of his pants.

Draco examined her fiery features for a moment she let out a growl and pulled him against her.

"You call this a game," Hermione said lightly, shifting on the basin and adjusting her knickers accordingly. "I call this war."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Draco smirked and he plunged into her, eliciting a great cry from Hermione as her virginity was broken.

Draco faltered a moment, staring at her. "Granger, I didn't –"

"Just do it, Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed.

As pain and pleasure mixed together, Hermione felt a burden lift from her and as she looked into Draco's face, she clenched her teeth, commanding her mind to forget that it was supposed to be Ron taking this innocence from her. Leaning forward, Hermione rested her forehead on Draco's shoulder, feeling guilt and mental pain overwhelm her.

She let out a sob as she climaxed, knowing that she shouldn't have, knowing that she hadn't wanted this, knowing that despite her will to seek revenge and find some relief she had only brought herself deeper into misery.

Numbly she registered that Draco had also finished and was breathing hard against her. Pulling away, she looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. Draco examined her for a moment before righting himself.

Silently, he left the bathroom and Hermione. Her feet finding the floor once more, Hermione turned and looked at herself in the mirror. Pain and anguish overwhelmed her and she collapsed to the damp floor. She wanted Ron; she needed him. And yet her entire being told her she couldn't forgive and forget so easily. He had brought this misery upon her; he was the reason she had just consented to Draco Malfoy.

Her body was already starting to ache. Clenching her thighs together, she wished only for the past hour to have never happened but she knew that even with a timeturner she wouldn't be able to achieve such a feat.

Not wanting to head back to the common room, she let the gloom overtake her and hoped that if anyone passed by the second floor girl's lavatory at such a late hour they would believe the breathless sobbing was coming from the ghost that normally haunted it.

_**o**_

That night in the bathroom was still haunting Hermione three weeks later and she did not return. Concentrating on classes and Harry kept her going during the day and she tried firmly not to let Ron get to her. When he did, she turned to reading or, if she felt the need to cry, she would do so in the privacy of the Gryffindor Tower girl's bathroom.

It was late one Friday afternoon and for the tenth time, she looked up to see Ron entering the common room without Lavender in tow. This pleased her but she had not heard word that the two were having difficulties so it only caused many questions to rise in Hermione's head, causing her to once more fall into gloom.

Earlier that day she had passed Malfoy in the halls. She met his eyes and then averted them straight away. She did not want to fall on him for support again, she was smart enough to know that the moments spent with him were a mistake, even if he couldn't quite come to understand that.

A week later Hermione had found herself standing outside the second floor bathroom, wanting to completely put an end to whatever her and Malfoy had been doing. However, Hermione could not summon the courage to enter; she was terrified that if she did she might fall into her old habit and become once more caught in a situation she preferred not to be in.

Continuing down the hall, she considered just avoiding the Slytherin from then on, though she knew it would be of little use; she would not be sure that it was over until she said it was.

Hermione went on another two weeks contemplating how would be best to let him know; she considered saying it one day after Potions but he was always one of the first out the door when the bell rang. She considered owling him but knew that if anyone else saw the letter they would grow suspicious. It seemed that revisiting Moaning Myrtle's bathroom was the only option.

One Friday afternoon, she saw him dart in there while on her rounds and she decided that this time was better than any other; there was no-one in the halls and it was guaranteed that he would either be in there alone or in there with Moaning Myrtle. Either way, she knew she was safe to say what she pleased.

Standing outside the door for over two minutes, Hermione gathered her words in her head, ready to speak them. She chose them wisely and made sure that she could let him know quickly and clearly and be out of the room by the time he had a chance to respond.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione pushed open the door slowly and headed in. Draco was, as always, before his usual basin, staring at himself in a cracked mirror.

Trying hard to concentrate on the words she was about to say and not the actions that had taken place in this bathroom and on that basin, she met his eyes in the mirror.

And felt the words vanish.

"You've been avoiding me, Granger," Draco said calmly, blinking lazily as she stood stock still behind him. "I was starting to think I may never see you in here again."

Hermione paused, gathering her courage and wishing she had left the door open. "You won't," she whispered.

"What was that, Granger?"

"You won't." Hermione's voice betrayed her; it showed her uneasiness of being around him again. She cleared her voice, hoping as she used it again that her words would come out firmer and clearer. "You win."

She stood there for a moment as Draco stared at her reflection. His gaze was calculating and Hermione demanded that her legs move.

Turning on her heel, she pulled open the door and in two quick strides she was gone.

_**AUTHOR NOTE: I hope that the beginning of this chapter is not too explicit. I dulled it down greatly to post on here as I did not realise that MA was not an available rating. Please feel free to inform me if it is of a much too explicit nature for the M rating! And I am sorry if it is of a much too explicit nature!**_


	4. Game Over

**GAME OVER**

A month later and Hermione's life had taken a turn for the better. She sat happily beside Ron's bed in the infirmary while he groaned on to Harry about Lavender being annoying and him wanting to get rid of her.

Hermione merely smiled. Although she was pleased to have Ron back in her life, she hadn't quite forgiven him for the Lavender situation and every time she thought about it she felt extremely guilty and hypocritical.

She had wanted nothing more than Ron to want her and no one else and when he started snogging another girl she not only went and snogged Ron's worst enemy but she lost her virginity to him. She also couldn't forget her date with Cormac McLaggen.

Hermione had done well to try and forget about her antics with Draco but at the end of the day Hermione knew that she would never be able to forgive herself for stooping so low and going on such a tangent.

She had chosen to avoid confrontations of any sort with Malfoy since that last day in the bathroom. She could tell he had gotten no closer to succeeding whatever task it was he had. She often spotted him heading into the second floor girl lavatory a few times, though she had never mentioned a thing to her friends; she knew how Harry would react and Hermione wasn't quite sure what to believe when it came to Harry's elaborate theories.

It wasn't until the day that Harry came back to the common room with blood and water all over him that Hermione realised that Draco might be in trouble. As Harry told the story, Hermione sat terrified, not quite knowing how to feel. After scolding Harry about the Advanced Potions book and the Half-Blood Prince, she had journeyed down to the hospital wing and slowly opened the doors.

She was pleased to see that Draco was the only one there; it seemed no one else was presently visiting him and that Madam Pomfrey was off somewhere else for the time being. Heading in, she stood by his bed a moment, looking down at his face. She recognized the effects of Essence of Dittany – the skin on his face was dry and slightly scabbing, obviously in the state of healing.

Hermione was startled into reality when she noticed his eyes beginning to open and she retreated several steps, not sure how he would react if he saw her there.

"I know Potter didn't mean for this to happen, Granger," Draco croaked, groaning as he turned his head slightly to look at her. It seemed he had noticed her after all. "_Saint_ Potter use Dark Magic when actually knew what the spell did? He probably didn't even know it _was_ Dark Magic."

Hermione bit her lip and shook her head.

"I'm fine anyway, Granger," Draco went on. "Scars should be gone in no time."

Hermione nodded, still biting her lip. "I'll just … I'll just go then."

As Hermione retreated, she heard the Slytherin boy shuffle in his sheets and she was nearly out the door when he called to her.

"Granger, I deserved this."

Hermione watched him for a moment, remaining silent, before heading through the door and away from him.

Back in the common room ten minutes later, Hermione sat beside Ron and smiled softly to herself, feeling pity for Draco Malfoy overwhelm her. Staring out the window to the Hogwarts School grounds, she realised that everything from foolish games to redemption couldn't save Draco Malfoy from the misery that clouded his every waking hour.

**THE END**


End file.
